For the next week or so guys and girls, the first ladies of tennis prepare to make sporting magic; weaving their rackets like wands at the Singapore Indoor Stadium for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals.
The Sport’s Hub’s construction promised an exciting era of prestigious sporting events and with footballing greats such us Neymar, Pirlo, Kaka and Buffon taking centre stage in recent weeks – it’s now the turn of the world’s greatest female tennis players to make their bow within the newest jewel of the Lion City’s crown.
Glamorous 2014 French Open champion Maria Sharapova has already been met by hoards of her adoring fans at various events over the past few days. Her chances of claiming victory, however, were smashed when a certain Serena Williams appeared on Thursday. Her presence consequently sets hopes ablaze that she’ll be able to overcome recent injuries and take part in an event she won the past two years in a row when it was held in Istanbul.
Elsewhere, the mercurially talented winner of Wimbledon 2014 Petra Kvitová will look to stake her claim and is many people’s pick to win. Denmark’s darling Caroline Wozniacki has had a much-improved year following a disappointing season last time out, so she could also present a challenge.
Meanwhile, former world number two Agnieszka Radwanska adds yet more glitter to the star names on show and the 2014 French Open finalist appears to get better and better each time she takes the court.
An undoubted crowd favourite will be Serbian Ana Ivanovic who has shown remarkable form throughout the season. Fans across the globe have been endeared by her exceptional resilience and ability to build her game back to a level where she can once more compete with the very best in the world having won her only Grand Slam title six long years ago in France.
Genie Bouchard of Canada completes the line-up as the youngest of the World’s top 8. If we’re to judge solely by the local media’s forgivable infatuation with her latest Instagram pictures, then the world number six has clearly been loving life since her arrival.
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Indeed, if the Wimbledon finalist is anything like as content on court this week as she clearly is with the Marina Bay Sands Infinity pool, then she would have had herself a heck of a tournament!
The ladies will compete for a significant S$8.3 million in total prize money and it really does promise to be an unbelievable spectacle.
Fans will get to see both the past, present and future of the sport via various exhibition matches via various festivities happening in and around the tournament, not to mention a concert by none other than the unmistakable RnB songstress, Mariah Carey.
The only thing left in question then, is who will triumph? In that regard, the draw will take place at 5pm on Saturday the 18th of October and will certainly serve in making our predictions just that little bit easier. Sorry, I had to.
The BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore, presented by SCglobal, will be held from Oct 17 to 26 at the Indoor Stadium at the Sports Hub.